good reads?

It's a shame you only read fiction.

Journeys of Socrates is part of a neat series by Dan Millman

Hopefully this thread isn't used to bump Harry Potter or Twilight.

One flew over the cuckoos nest by Ken Kesey is a great classic.  or 1984 by george orwell. 2 of my favorite books

If you want a book that can teach you can finish in a couple hours give or take, and create a new appreciation for life then I suggest The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho a Brazilian writer.

Sold more than 65 million copies

in 150 diff. countries

translated into 60 diff. languages..its a phenomenon lol.

Here are some authors that write fast paced ingaging novels - all have more than one great book to read:

Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (Anything with Pendergast)

Neil Gaiman (American Gods)

Dean Koontz (Odd Thomas, Phantoms - very similiar to The Mist)

Micheal Criton (Prey, Congo, Sphere etc.)

Oroson Scott Card (Enders Game, Shadow of the Giant)

...and some books that aren't 'slow' from an asorted spectrum of genres:

The Golden Compass, Pullman

Call of The Wild, London

Flashforward, Sawyer

Stranger From a Strange Land, Heinlien

Neuromancer, Gibson

The Hatchet, Paulson

Yeah The Alchemist is a great read. If you want more Horror like Stephen King, then try out "Cell" that book is awesome. I like "Ravenor" right now, Kinda a sci-fi investegator book with action. Amaaaazing.

try Heart of Darkness by Joesph Conrad...awesome book, and really short lol

First of all,  a thumbs down to Heart of Darkness. 

On the other hand, some good reads are...

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller- one of the funniest books I've read.

And another 'vote' for Ken Kesey- Sometimes a Great Notion, and Cuckoo's Nest are both good.

Dune by Frank Herbert

Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King

Foundation series by Isaac Asimov

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein

Those are all sci-fi by the by...

Here are a few of my favorites I've read recently:

Current Stuff:
--I really like the writer Bill Bryson, specifically his funnier works: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe, The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America, and I'm a Stranger Here Myself.  All laugh-out-loud funny.

--A Song of Ice and Fire: Not sure if you're into fantasy, but if you are, check this out.  Very accurate medieval world, and extremely morally complex.  No real good or evil, with very human protagonists.

--William Gibson's Sprawl Trilogy, beginning with "Neuromancer": Classic cyberpunk sci-fi.

--The Eyes of the Dragon, by Stephen King: his best work, hands down.  Most people don't know this book, because it's not a horror story; it's actually a high fantasy, about a prince who's deposed by Flagg (the same guy from The Dark Tower), and the struggle to reinstate him as king.  Basically, this is where Flagg gets his start, so it's essential for any King fan.

World Classics:

--The Koran--extremely dense, but brilliant religious literature if you can follow it.

--Gilgamesh--a 4000-year-old Sumerian epic, very quick read, fast-paced and chock-full of literary archetypes seen even today.

--The Kalevala--Finnish epic similar to the Illiad. Pretty long, but entertaining, and with great characters.

--The Good Soldier Svejk: Maybe one of the funniest books I've ever read, about a patriotic Czech soldier in WWI, and one of the most important works of anti-war satire.

--The Bagavad Gita: Hindu philosophical/religious work.  Pretty short, and very eye-opening.

--Candide: Voltaire's best.  Hilarious, and very historically significant.

I really liked Moll Flanders and Wuthering Heights as well as The Once and Future King. 

Another plus for Stranger in a Strange Land. It was the first Heinlein I ever read.

Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is amazing, and definitely not slow. A very non-cliche fantasy world that doesn't get stuck on the fact that it's a fantasy world.

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson is likewise amazing. The other two books in this trilogy are all right, but Mistborn works wonderfully as a standalone novel. I wasn't even aware it was the first in a trilogy until someone told me.

Variable Star by Spider Robinson and R.A. Heinlein is one of my favorites.

Good Omens, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. A hilarious read.

If you're willing to try some nonfiction that is written very well, try this year's Western Reads book, The Omnivore's Dilemma. Pollan has an engaging and amusing writing style and makes you care about the subject a great deal.

Old Man's War by Scalzi is good, and the beginning of a series. Military sci-fi.

Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher's memoir, made me almost cry laughing in the middle of the cafeteria. "If my life weren't funny it would just be true, and that is unacceptable."

I've got a lot of recommendations, so hit me up anytime you need a recommendation for a good scifi or fantasy.